Originally released in 1979 by Compass International (the same company who distributed Halloween the previous year), Tourist Trap made the rounds of the drive-in and grind house circuit with little fanfare. Though not a hit in its original release, it has developed a loyal following on video and cable and more than deserves this 20th anniversary special edition release. Far removed from the pedestrian direct-to-video product its current license holder, Full Moon, is infamous for, this eerie shocker combines elements of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and House of Wax while creating several original set pieces of its own.

The plot is fairly simple and straightforward; a caravan of five twenty-something friends find themselves dealing with car trouble. One of them wanders off to find help and stumbles upon a seemingly abandoned gas station a few miles down the road. Once inside he is terrorized by animated mannequins and levitating sharp objects hurled in his direction. It's a wonderfully creepy, well-edited sequence that ends in a truly original death. After the second car in the caravan breaks down (while searching for the missing member), they are helped out by eccentric local Mr. Slausen (Chuck Conners). He drives them to his dilapidated wax museum, Slausen's Lost Oasis, where each are systematically terrorized by a telekinetic psycho wearing a dummy mask.

Tourist Trap is remembered primarily for its unnerving use of mannequins (a year before the infamous Maniac) and a few inspired bizarre twists. Director David (Puppet Master) Schmoeller and cinematographer Nicholas Joseph von Sternberg orchestrate some genuinely scary moments and use the sparse, claustrophobic settings to great effect. Schmoeller even manages to finesse some nice performances from the mainly inexperienced cast. The three female leads: Jocelyn Jones, Robin Sherwood and a young Tanya Roberts are all quite good in their roles. Conners, never known for his understated performances, hams it up as the creepy Slausen. His low-camp delivery perfectly suites the intentional (and unintentional) humor scattered throughout the piece. The film's main weakness lies in the largely underwritten script credited to Schmoeller and J. Larry Carroll. Though this is hardly a surprise in genre films of this nature, the very elements that make Tourist Trap so interesting (and decidedly offbeat) are never fully explored. The masked stalker (whose identity is not much of a mystery) has telekinetic powers, which aren't adequately explained. His motives for abducting tourists and "turning" them into mannequins are also quite muddy. Though an argument could be made that this ambiguousness is intentional, it nonetheless creates a fractured, throwaway quality inherent in so many low budget horror films.

Also somewhat lacking is the lazy score by Pino (Piranha) Donaggio. At best the music is pedestrian, at worst it is one of the most annoying scores ever to grace a '70's horror film. The main theme, played over the DVD menu, is truly ill conceived and almost laughable in its child-like redundancy. However, none of these aspects diminish the fun of this well-crafted film. Ultimately, Tourist Trap is superior exploitation that exhibits a refreshingly dark sense of humor. The last shot is a wonderful piece of gonzo cinema.

For a film with such an obscure pedigree, this Cult Video release is quite impressive. The DVD features a nice new digital transfer from the original film negative. Though the source material contains several artifacts and minor scratches, the picture quality is fine (probably the best this film has ever looked, anyway.) Images are generally sharp with only minor distortion visible in a few of the early outdoor sequences. Presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio, von Sternberg's clever framing and smart, efficient visual sense can finally be appreciated after years of poor pan-and-scan video versions. Color levels are accurate and particularly bold during the exterior night scenes. The sound is presented in DX Stereo and presents no distortion; though nothing special it's an acceptable mix.

Included in this special edition are cast biographies, the original trailer and an interesting audio commentary and short interview segment with director David Schmoeller. There is also a rather generous (and animated) chapter selection of 24 sequences Ð all the more impressive when compared to other Cult Video/Full Moon releases. The box copy promises "over 40 Full Moon trailers," however there are only 7 presented here (including the one for Tourist Trap). There is an extended commercial for a line of Puppet Master action figures - if such a thing can be considered a bonus.